San Diego State isn’t going to sell anywhere near the number of tickets it managed in its two Poinsettia Bowl appearances.

But a week into ticket sales for their Dec. 21 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl showdown versus Buffalo, the Aztecs have at least already surpassed the dismal sales numbers they put up in 2011, when they traveled to the New Orleans Bowl.

That year, SDSU only got its bowl invitation about a week before the game, so it was tough to sell tickets to fans who would have had to pay steep prices for airline tickets on short notice.

As a result, the Aztecs only sold about 1,200 tickets for the New Orleans bowl.

This year will mark SDSU’s fourth-straight bowl game, but it’s only the second time in that streak that the Aztecs will be traveling out of town for the bowl.

SDSU Associate Athletic Director Steve Schnall said Friday that the Aztecs have already exceeded the 1,200 tickets they sold for the New Orleans Bowl but declined to release the exact number sold thus far because he’s waiting for the SDSU football players and coaches to submit their ticket requests.

“Our fans are supporting (the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl) in a better way than they did in New Orleans, and part of it is that we’ve had more time than we did for the New Orleans Bowl,” Schnall said. “But we definitely will not reach the peak (numbers) for when we traveled to Las Vegas in 1998, or the two Poinsettia Bowls. Those were in the neighborhood of about 9,500.”

SDSU’s initial allotment of Famous Idaho Potato Bowl tickets is 8,000. The school is required to purchase those tickets up front and absorb any unsold tickets.

Potato Bowl officials said Friday that they’ve sold about 27,000 tickets so far, including about 4,000 tickets that were donated to charities and military personnel.

Bronco Stadium’s capacity is 36,387, but the bowl’s attendance record is 30,493 – which was set in the 2005 game between Boston College and Boise State.

It’s unlikely that SDSU will sell out its entire 8,000-ticket allotment, but the target number is about 2,500, Schnall said.

To boost ticket sales, the athletic department also announced this week that it has started partnerships with VetTix, Gowen Field and the YMCA of Boise.

VetTix is a foundation that gives event tickets to military personnel, veterans and their families.

Fans who don’t want to make the trip to Boise still do the Aztecs a favor by purchasing tickets ($50 each) through the SDSU ticket office and either donating them or choosing to sponsor an Aztecs band/spirit squad member.

“For those Aztec fans that will not be able to attend the game in person, you can still help the athletic department and give deserving individuals an opportunity to see the game by donating your purchased ticket,” SDSU Athletic Director Jim Sterk said in a press release. “In addition to allowing military and youth an opportunity to see San Diego State football, a purchased ticket also helps the athletic department secure future bowl games and neutral site basketball events.”

Schnall said the athletic department has also contacted all 483 SDSU alums and current students who live in or around Idaho and invited them to the bowl game. That number includes the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Wyoming, Washington, Utah and Nevada.”

“Their feedback to us is that they want to wait and see what the weather is like,” Schnall said, adding that it’s supposed to be in the mid-30s in Boise on Dec. 21.